


Your name on my skin

by LonelyAngel



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: College Student Tyler, M/M, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Tattoo Artist Josh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 22:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15204476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyAngel/pseuds/LonelyAngel
Summary: Josh works in a tattoo parlor. Tyler is a college student.They meet each other on the bus and Josh just wants Tyler to stop sitting on his favorite spot in the bus. Too bad it's Tyler's favorite spot too.





	Your name on my skin

Josh is sitting on the same spot in the bus. Every day. He wakes up at 7 am, eats a bowl of cereal, brushes his teeth – not as long as he should, but he doesn’t care, his teeth are clean – tries to style his hair and sprints out of his apartment, running down the stairs. He almost breaks his ankle every time he jumps over the last couple of stairs, but he doesn't care. He doesn't need his feet for work.

He takes the bus at 7.30 and sits on the same spot every day. Sometimes, there's already a person sitting on _his s_ eat, so he prefers to keet standing, holding onto the stanchion in the bus, waiting for the person to get out at the next stop.

Almost every day, Josh listens to music while waiting for the bus to arrive at the stop closest to the tattoo parlor. He loves to drown out the noises of the bus and just to start daydreaming, a few minutes of relaxing before work starts.

It's not that his job is exhausting, it's mostly sitting around and waiting for costumers to come in. And Josh has probably tattooed enough lions and roses and naked women on muscular arms to zone out and keep daydreaming while letting his hands do the work. He doesn't need his brain for that.

The bus stops and Josh flinches, jumping out of the bus. It's just a two-minute walk to the studio and Josh arrives a few minutes early. He opens the door and glances at the 'closed' sign that's hanging at the door before stepping in.

Pete, his boss, looks up when he sees him and flashes him a smile. "Good morning, Josh."

"Hi." Josh grumbles and walks to the desk, glancing at the list with the appointments for today. His schedule is pretty empty, just a costumer at 9 and one in the afternoon, so it's pretty much another day of sitting around, doing nothing. He sighs and turns, when someone taps his shoulder.

"Hey, Josh. I was wondering if you could take my appointment at 7 pm?" Frank, his co-worker smiles at him. "I wanted to go out with Jamia this evening. She's already pissed that we couldn't go out last week."

Josh sighs. He really hoped to get home early, but Frank is his friend.

"I can take one of your other appointments if you want. Please, Josh." Frank begs.

"Okay." Josh bites his lip. "It's not like I'm too busy or something."

"Thanks." Frank grins and turns.

Josh starts to prepare his tattoo gun and the needle. Soft, relaxing music is filling the room while he is working. A few months ago, they kept blasting Metallica and Blink-182 through the speakers, but then Pete switched to relaxing music and white noise, because "it relaxes the customers and doesn't scare people off." Josh thinks it's weird to hear jungle noises in the middle of Columbus, Ohio, but Pete owns the shop and Josh is not going to argue with him.

The first customer is a young woman. Her upper body is already covered with tattoos and she wants the name of her daughter tattooed on her skin.

When Josh asks where she wants to have the tattoo, she points at her neck. Josh tells her to sit down and grabs the tattoo gun, cleaning her neck before he starts. It's finished soon and Josh covers the tattoo. She's happy with the way it turned out and leaves the parlor a few minutes later.

Josh glances at the clock and starts to sterilize some of his equipment in the autoclave. Lunch break is over quickly, he keeps chatting with Pete while Frank has another customer.

His second appointment is a guy Josh has already tattooed several times. To say that Josh isn't very excited to see him again is an understatement.

"Do you know what kind of tattoo you'd like?" he asks.

"Yeah…" the guy grunts and points at his left arm. There's a free spot, about as big as Josh's hand. "I want a hot chick tattooed here. With some massive tits, of course." he laughs and Josh forces himself to smile.

He listens to what the guy wants and draws a quick sketch.

The guy shakes his head. "Bigger. She needs bigger tits. Just draw what kind of woman you'd like to fuck the most."

Josh rolls his eyes (luckily, the guy doesn't see it) and draws another sketch. It's not like he'd like to sleep with the kind of woman he's drawing. Her boobs are big, they look like balloons, completely unrealistic, but the guy likes it.

"That's what I was talking about." he says contently.

Josh thinks that, for a gay guy, he seemed to do a good job of guessing other men's dream women. He knows it would be easier for him to draw hot men, but no one ever wants a naked man on their skin.

He starts tattooing, concentrating on his work and not listening to the guy who tells him about all his friends and the way they treat their girlfriends. It makes Josh sick, knowing that these guys probably have never heard of the word 'respect'.

At least the guy has huge arms, so there's enough space for the naked girl. Her boobs will probably get even bigger when the guy flexes his arm.

When the day is over, Josh is ready to pass out on his couch. He's glad to go home now. Josh says bye to Pete and heads home. He almost falls asleep on the bus.

He's sure the next day won't be interesting at all. The same routine every day.

 

When he gets on the bus the next day, his seat is already occupied. Josh sighs and grabs the handle, looking at the guy who is sitting on his favorite spot. He has a small frame, his knees drawn to his chest, hugging them with his skinny arms. It looks like he's trying to be invisible.

Josh notices his white earbuds. The boy is staring out of the window, ignoring everything around him. Josh bites his lip, waiting for the stranger hop off at the next station, but he doesn't and Josh remains standing the entire ride long, although there are plenty of empty seats.

 

The guy sits on his spot the next day again. And the following day. Actually, Josh sees him every day and he's getting sick of this kid blocking his seat. Although Josh is quiet shy sometimes, he takes a deep breath and walks up to the boy.

Standing next to him, he clears his throat, but the other doesn't react. Josh pokes his arm and the guy flinches, ripping his headphones out of his ears.

"Yeah?" His voice is higher than Josh expected, like he didn't go through puberty yet.

"You're, uh, sitting on my seat." Josh says slowly.

The boy looks at him in confusion. "Your… your seat? Aren't there like, twenty other empty seats?"

"I know, but, uh, that's my favorite spot and I've been sitting here for months and uh…" Josh explains. "I would really appreciate it if you could sit somewhere else."

Josh expects to be laughed at or even yelled at, but the boy just looks at him for a few seconds and then stands up. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to. Be sorry, I mean." Josh bites his lip. "I can just, uh… sit down next to you if that's okay?"

The boy hesitates but nods and settles back down. Josh sits down next to him.

"I'm Josh by the way."

"Tyler." the guy responds and looks back out of the window. They don't talk. Josh says bye to Tyler a few minutes later and keeps thinking about him all day long.

 

The next day, Tyler is sitting on his seat again, but he looks up when he sees Josh and shows a timid smile. He's still looking so small, his fingers curled around the hem of his black hoodie, shoulders tense.

Josh sits down next to him again and asks him about the music he's listening to. Tyler starts to rant about Death Cab for Cutie until Josh needs to hop off.

They talk every time they see each other and when Josh tells him that he's a tattoo artist, Tyler looks at him in interest.

"What is the name of the parlor?"

"It's just 'Pete's tattoo parlor'." Josh explains.

"Are you good at it?" Tyler asks after a few seconds of silence.

Josh shrugs. "I guess. Until now, I had no complaints. I love being a tattoo artist."

Tyler looks out of the window, following the cars with his eyes. It's raining and raindrops hit the glass before they run down. "I wish I would be an artist, too. I love the idea of creating." he says quietly.

It's a personal topic, Josh realizes. He looks outside and realizes that he needs to leave soon. "What's your job?" he asks.

Tyler looks at him, eyes nervously meeting Josh's. "Oh, I don't… I don't work. I'm a college student."

"What's your dream job?" Josh asks softly.

Tyler doesn't look away. Josh thinks his eyes look like melted chocolate.

"I want to be a musician." Tyler whispers, like it's a secret.

Maybe it is.

Josh opens his mouth to say something, but Tyler nods at the bus door. "You need to go."

"Oh, right." Josh stands up. "See you, Tyler."

Tyler shows him another, barely visible smile. "Bye, Josh."

Josh is sure, Tyler doesn't deserve the sadness he seems to feel all the time.

 

Only hours later, Tyler walks into the parlor, dripping wet and shaking.

"Good afternoon." Pete says. "Welcome. How can I help you?"

"I, uh, is Josh here?" Tyler stutters.

Pete turns. "Josh!" he yells, but Josh is already next to him.

"Tyler, why… what are you doing here?" he asks.

Tyler swallows. "Can we talk? Please?"

"Yeah, sure." Josh glances at Pete. "I'll take my break now. I don't have any appointments right now."

Pete nods and Josh leads Tyler to the back, where he tells his to sit down and makes him a cup of tea. Tyler is still shivering and Josh wraps a blanket around his shoulders.

"There you go." he says and watches how Tyler stops shaking slowly. They sit in silence for a few minutes, Tyler sipping the tea and Josh watching him, before he decides to speak up.

"What's wrong, Tyler? Why are you here?"

Tyler sighs and looks at his knees. "I just needed some to talk to… before I do something stupid…" he mumbles.

"I get it." Josh says softly. He wants to touch Tyler, to stroke his knee to comfort him, but something keeps holding him back. Tyler hasn't finished yet.

"Do you ever feel tired, Josh?" Tyler asks and his hands are trembling.

"Tired because of the lack of sleep?"

"No." Tyler shakes his head. "Tired of life. Tired of everything, I guess."

Josh looks at him and feels the urge to hug him. "Sometimes."

"I'm so tired." Tyler looks at him and tears well up in his beautiful brown eyes. "I'm so tired of living. How am I supposed to keep on living if I can just decide to stop existing? It's not fair that I should keep on suffering when the release is so close."

"I know it can be hard." Josh sighs. Tyler's hands are shaking so much that Josh grabs the cup and places it on the desk next to him. "To know that you have to keep on fighting although you could just end it all. But it's worth it, it really is. You need to find a purpose. Something that reminds you that you can keep on living, no matter how hard it seems."

"I'm broken, Josh." Tyler whimpers and Josh stands up and pulls him into a hug. Tyler cries into his shirt, his slim body shaking under Josh's hands.

"Broken doesn't mean worthless, Tyler." Josh says softly. "I know what I'm talking about. Believe me. I've walked these roads before."

"How do you… how do you keep on living?" Tyler asks quietly, voice cracking.

"I just hope that it's getting better. My passion is being a tattoo artist and playing the drums and it helps me to calm down, to feel like everything's going to work out someday. Just have faith in your future, Tyler. Find things that make you happy. Live your dream. No matter how hard it seems."

Tyler sighs and withdraws, wiping his nose. "I'm sorry for bothering you. Thank you for… you know. Comforting me."

"You're welcome." Josh gives him a warm smile.

Tyler takes a deep breath. "Do you have an appointment tomorrow?"

"In the morning, but you can come over in the afternoon to talk."

Tyler shakes his head. "I don't want to talk. I mean, I do, but I'm asking because I want to get a tattoo."

"Seriously?" Josh asks.

"Yeah, uh, I've thought about it for about a year actually." Tyler rubs his arms awkwardly.

"I'd love to book you an appointment tomorrow." Josh smiles at him. "What about 3 pm?"

Tyler nods. "That's perfect. Thank you, Josh."

He takes a step closer and hugs him again. Josh runs his hands along Tyler's back, feeling his spine through the fabric of his hoodie. "See you tomorrow, Tyler."

He knows he can't fuck it up. He wants Tyler's tattoo to be perfect.

 

Josh is nervous the next day. They talked about a few things on the bus, but when Tyler enters the parlor, he starts sweating.

Tyler sits down and Josh notices that he is shaking.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

Tyler presses his lips to a thin line and nods. "Yeah, just nervous."

"It's okay." Josh smiles at him.

"Will it hurt?" Tyler asks, face pale.

"It will sting a little bit. You don't have to do this." Josh looks at him.

Tyler's gaze meets Josh's. "I want to."

"Okay. What kind of tattoo you want to have?"

Tyler points at his trembling hand. "Three thin lines around the wrist."

Josh is intrigued. It's different. Something so simple, but it seems to mean a lot to Tyler. "Okay."

Josh cleans his wrist and gets the tattoo gun ready. Tyler is still shaking and he's gnawing at his lips. When Josh grabs the gloves and puts them on, Tyler takes a sharp breath. Josh grabs his hand and rubs circles on the back of his hand. He wants Tyler to know that he's safe. He's always safe around Josh. He would never hurt him.

"It's okay. Just try to relax, okay?"

Tyler nods and after a few moments, he stops shaking. He's breathing deeply but at least he doesn't look scared anymore.

When the needle touches Tyler's wrist, he flinches, but Josh expected it, so he doesn't mess up.

Tyler is quiet the whole time, but when Josh wraps his wrist and tells him to wait for some time before taking the wrapping off, he nods and smiles.

When they walk to the counter and Tyler pays, he takes a deep breath. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me. I was always too afraid to get a tattoo, but I trusted you. Thank you for being so kind to me."

"You deserve it." Josh says simply. It's true. Tyler deserves the world.

 

 

It almost sounded like a goodbye, but it's not the only tattoo Tyler gets. Over the next few weeks, Josh spends hours on tattooing lines and weird looking symbols on Tyler's skin. When he finishes the last tattoo, a cross on Tyler's chest, the brunet looks up at him. He looks incredibly cute, his skin is soft and when he smiles, Josh can see his adorably crooked bottom teeth.

"Almost done." Tylere whispers.

"What's missing?" Josh asks and places the tattoo gun on the table. He looks at Tyler and realizes how many hours he spent on daydreaming about the face of the boy in front of him. How often he thought about the way his face lit up when he smiled. Tyler Joseph made himself a home in Josh's heart.

Tyler swallows and avoids his gaze. "Could you… tattoo your name on my body?" His voice is quiet, almost a whisper.

Josh's breath gets caught in his throat. "Why?" he asks hoarsely.

Tyler looks at him and Josh _knows._

This time, Josh's hands are shaking as he leans closer, cupping Tyler's face with his hands and pressing his lips on Tyler's.

"I love you." he whispers. "God, Tyler, I love you so much."

When Josh feels drops of water on his skin, he realizes that Tyler is crying. Tyler's hands are buried in Josh's hair and he's sobbing against Josh's lips. It feels like Josh's heart is exploding with love.

"You're so important to me." Josh chokes out. "Please let me take care of you. I want to show you how much I love you."

"Josh." Tyler sobs and kisses him again. Josh can taste Tyler's salty tears and his lips, his warm, soft lips that make Josh forget where he is.

"You're too good for me." Tyler exhales. "I know I don't deserve you."

"That's not true." Josh connects their lips again, to show Tyler how wonderful and how much loved he is.

"Don't leave me." Tyler begs and Josh smiles against his lips.

"Never. I promise."

They break apart. Tyler's face is tear-stained, but Josh thinks he looks beautiful nonetheless. He carefully wipes his tears away.

"Please…" Tyler whispers and points to his leg. Josh licks his lips. His heart is hammering in his chest and he nods.

Tyler wiggles out of his jeans and Josh sterilizes a spot on his thigh. He grabs the tattoo machine and kneels down next to Tyler. He has to take a deep breath to calm down and looks up, meeting Tyler's gaze.

"Are you sure?"

Tyler looks at him and his eyes are warm. "I've never been so sure in my life." There's so much love and determination in his gaze. Josh has never seen him so calm before. Tyler places a hand on Josh's shoulder.

"It's okay… I'm okay."

Josh closes his eyes for a second before he starts to write his name on Tyler's skin. Black ink forms letters. Not once does Tyler move, his hand keeps resting on Josh's, a comforting warmth, showing him that this is right.

Josh looks at his name on Tyler's skin. Tyler is his. But he wants to be Tyler's.

He feels so much pure, raw love when he hands Tyler the tattoo gun, it's almost overwhelming.

"What are you doing?" Tyler asks.

"I want to be yours." Josh says and Tyler looks at him, swallowing and he can't believe that this man in front of him want to be his.

"I love you." Josh says softly and Tyler nods, blinking away the unshed tears before they switch places.

Tyler in concentrated, he goes over it a few times, but Josh doesn't mind. These lines on his skin prove that his heart belongs Tyler. And nothing can change that.

He looks at Tyler's name right above his knee and it feels right, like it always belonged there. And maybe it did.


End file.
